Glen Keane brings life to “The Art of Animation”
Photos by Leah Evans
Last Wednesday, people arriving at Arnold Hall were surprised to see a long line outside the building. The long line of students even extended down the block. These students had been in line for hours, eager for the panel, “The Art of Animation,” which featured notable animators from Disney and Pixar movies. Everyone was especially excited to see Glen Keane, whom many consider an important part of their childhood.
Inside the auditorium, Professor Scott Bogoniewski introduced the panelists. John Carls, the producer of “Rango” and “Where The Wild Things Are,” managed the panel. Next to him was John Kars, the director of “Paperman” and animator on “Tangled,” “Frozen,” “Ratatouille” and “Monsters Inc.” Then was Bobby Chiu, a character designer on Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” and the founder and creative of Imagineer Studios. Finally, Bogoniewski introduced Glen Keane, who brought to life some of the main characters from Disney classics such as “The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Pocahontas” and “Tangled.”
Although the panelists were excited to talk about how the art of storytelling and animation have evolved through the years, each of them brought their own unique experience to the three hour long discussion.
Kahrs, who was self-taught, told students to think about what makes a character special. “What is different and how can you make that sing?” He asked them. “It was about finding those moments in whatever I was doing.” To him, animation was about “building worlds and characters that people resonate with.”
Chiu, on the other hand, was “the new generation that started with the Internet.” He started off as a computer tech guy before quitting to do freelance work as an animator. In the beginning, it was tough for Chiu, but that didn’t stop him from dreaming big. “All of these rejections strengthen you,” he explained. “You can either lower your expectations or get through them.”
He dreamt of working for Tim Burton and seeing his name among the thousands rolling up during the credits. His hard work paid off and he was assigned to work not only on “Alice in Wonderland” but also the upcoming sequel, “Alice Through the Looking Glass.”
When computer-generated imaging was first introduced, Kahrs likened it with what was happening to the Internet and the newspaper industry. Despite their differences, both CGI and 2-D animation share the idea of entertaining viewers. “No matter what happens, there will always be storytelling,” Kahrs said. “It’s your job to do that.”
Unlike many animators, Keane didn’t see 3-D as a threat. Instead, he injected his own style into it with “Tangled.” He talked about bringing drawing and CGI together, which inspired his latest animated short film, “Duet.”
The film came after he left Disney to join Google. Keane explained he wanted to work outside of walls and so he went to Google “where there are no walls, literally.” He said there were no other animators and he wanted to figure out how he would fit in.
This past summer, “Duet” was released in the Google I/O Conference in San Francisco. “I love the idea that there are new deliveries for art,” said Keane. “It’s not always in a movie theater.”
The animators also talked about the portfolios they receive from students starting out in the industry. They are all similar to one another. The panelists urged students not to copy characters and to create their own. They added that they pay close attention to personal sketches because students aren’t trying to fit in a studio mold.
After the panel, “Duet” was screened for students. The three-minute film was not just about the story of a boy and a girl whose paths cross multiple times, but also about the collaboration between him and Google. Together, they combined 2-D animation that can be viewed in a 3-D space. After the screening, Keane had the stage all to himself.
He explained the process of making his film. He had animated 60 frames per second — unheard of in animation standards, which is typically 24 frames per second. According to Keane, this was the first time his drawings were up on screen. Back at Disney, his work would get “cleaned up” before making it into the final cut. Here, his drawings were rough, which allowed the animation to feel pure and energetic.
He also shared his story about starting out as an animator. His father, Bill Keane, was a famous comic artist who created “Family Circus.” When Keane sent out his portfolio, they were all highly rendered and detailed drawings. One of the artists reviewing his work was more interested in his gesture drawings because they had a lot more energy and emotion to them than the others. He advised Keane to do more of them and he did just that.
Keane went out and bought seven 100-page sketchbooks and filled each and every page within a week. He returned to the artist’s studio with his new sketchbooks and was immediately hired.
He advised students to “listen to the character,” and stressed to let the character speak to you and let them do what it wants to do. He cited Ariel as an example and explained that when Ariel reached out during “Part of Your World,” he initially thought it was a cheesy concept but felt that it was necessary for her character. In the end, he was glad because the audience resonated with that gesture.
At the end of the panel, Keane told students the learning never stops even after graduation. “I’m still learning,” he said.
